Audience Response to "Hush-a-Bye"
What does the sexualizing of female children in horror movies say about our society? Wow! Brillant! The Hush-a-Bye performance presented a new way of viewing children's roles and portrayals of children in horror films. After years and years of getting thrilled by horror films, only after watching Hush-a-Bye, did the nurturing-deviant child in such film existence become crystal clear. The performance kept me thinking long after the video. I contemplated the stereotypic madonna-whore roles for adult women and wondered how these images continue to be perpetuated in film decade after decade? Of course, mass media (e.g. television and film) maintain such societal standards. As new audiences emerge, I began to wonder how these adult conceptions are formed when we are children...by children (Nightmare on Elm Street, The Woman in Black, An American Haunting , and The Grudge) . The children depicted in Hush-a-Bye clearly show the extreme spectrums of the nurturing/open and deviant/underhanded horror film tendencies, particularly the accompanying musicality. Furthermore, I realized how rarely boys (and how frequently girls) are part of the nurture-deviant child dichotomy. Just as the nude, helpless woman exists in horror films both past and present, so too does the "either-or" child. Costume design, props, choreography, and finale were right on and kept me on the edge of my seat! "I'm glad to hear that my choreography inspired so many ideas! I especially am intrigued by your connection to male children and the nurture-deviant child dichotomy. You may have just inspired another choreographic work for me!" ~ Gabrielle Aufiero I really enjoyed watching this dance performance. It was horrific at times but was very entertaining. I am very new to watching dance performances, and this was a type of performance I have never seen before. It had me on the edge of my seat anticipating what was going to happen next. It felt as if the dancers were obsessed in way or almost in a zombie type trance. The music brought a horrific feel the performance as well. I saw this from the child singing at the start of the performance to the horror film sound of the music throughout the performance. One horror movie that I was reminded of when I watched this performance was the Blair Witch Project. In this film the children’s spirits were trying to warm the main characters of the story about the impending finds that they would discover. "Surprisingly, I have NEVER watched the Blair Witch Project, but your commentary on my work has definitely inspired me to rent it. I'm also glad to hear that the music choices helped to inspire feelings of 'horror' in my piece." ~ Gabrielle Aufiero What horror movies come to mind when watching this dance? What moments in the dance elicit this association? While watching this dance, the movie titled, "The Woman in Black" came to mind. This movie is recent, and what made me think of this movie was the costumes that the dancers are wearing. Their costumes reminded me of the clothing worn by the three little girls in the beginning of the movie. Also, the very first time that the dancers performed the same movements reminded me of that same part in the movie. The dancers come together, they begin to twitch or shake, then dance with the same movements. This reminded me of the beginning of the movie with the three little girls where they were playing with their toys, then all of a sudden they stop what they're doing and walk in unison to the window. "I have never seen 'The Woman in Black,' but I plan on watching it! I love the idea that unison is something 'scary' instead of comforting. What an unsettling idea." ~ Gabrielle Aufiero :: :: "It is interesting for me that in dance we (as audiences) often find comfort in unison, but this same attribute doesn't usually transfer into our daily life. When we watch dance and everyone is performing the same movement in time with the music, there is often a sense of calm in the order that is created. On the other hand, this same exhibition of unison in daily life is usually met with eerie or unsettling feelings. Juxtaposing the unison movements of the popular Rockettes with the unison movements of possessed girls in horror movies draws attention to this contrast. If you were told that this Rockettes' video was from a horror movie, would you still view it in a positive light? What role does context play in audience perception?" Consider your physical responses to the movement seen on stage and how you relate to the emotions expressed by the dancer. This dance was influenced by horror films that choose roles for female children. Watching this video, already the beginning had me a little frightened. The song sung by a little girl, the intense music throughout the dance, and the lighting all contributed to this feeling. The emotions expressed by the dancers also triggered a frightening response from me. There was a part in the dance where they come together and each of them begin to twitch and shake. Watching this made me feel tense and sent a shiver through my body. However, after this moment, the dancers began to dance in synch for a couple of movements and that gave a temporary sense of relief. "I love reading about your kinesthetic and emotional responses to the work! It really validates the sensations that I was trying to create and inspire for the audience." ~ Gabrielle Aufiero I really enjoyed watching this dance performance. It was horrific at times but was very entertaining. I am very new to watching dance performances, and this was a type of performance I have never seen before. It had me on the edge of my seat anticipating what was going to happen next. It felt as if the dancers were obsessed in way or almost in a zombie type trance. The music brought a horrific feel the performance as well. I saw this from the child singing at the start of the performance to the horror film sound of the music throughout the performance. One horror movie that I was reminded of when I watched this performance was the Blair Witch Project. In this film the children’s spirits were trying to warm the main characters of the story about the impending finds that they would discover. I think that society associates innocence and young children so much that when you take away that innocence they question what id left. It makes me wonder what is going through the mind of the person who thought up of this type of character. In today’s society it’s not uncommon to see an older female character that is sexual, so since this is the case it goes back to the question if you take away a child’s innocence what is left. Every time I watched the dance I would get a little tense because the dancers embodied their characters very well which made me think they might go crazy at any time. It almost felt like I was watching a live horror film. I wanted to know what were these girls going through and why it made them this way. Even though it was a bit creepy for me I was still engaged and wanted to know what was going to happen next. "My dancers were amazing! They were very open to portraying their characters and specific character traits in order to bring my creative concept to life. I never told my dancers what their characters were "going through and why it made them this way." Instead, I allowed my dancers to discover/create that on their own. I think it helped to make things more realistic for them." ~ Gabrielle Aufiero Additional Comments Wow, Choreographer Gabrielle Aufiero did a fantastic job with “Hush-a-Bye.” The performance presented children’s roles and portrayals in horror films. The different movements the actresses were asked to portray were very interesting to watch. I could see how the actresses were showing that they were nurtured and trapped in some ways in a constant movement of life. There are several films that have sexualized female children. I feel that society believes female children are supposed to be nurtured and not have a say in this world. They are supposed to go with the flow of everyday life without saying how they feel. They feel trapped to be women who obey this world. Some of the movements show the female children acting out against this world or being deviant. When I was watching “Hush-a-Bye” it reminded me of the film “Poltergeist” and “Nightmare on Elm Street.” When I was a young female child I remember these films scared me really bad. I still remember the young female child in the film “Poltergeist.” She was lost and helpless. She cried out for help and nobody could find her. This showed that the female child could cry out and nobody could save her. She was trapped in a world where she couldn’t be saved. My physical response to the movements the dancers did made me feel tense. The film was extremely creepy to me and I was terrified the dancers would fall down and die. Women they were nurturing the baby it seemed really scary and creepy. The dancers showed good examples of how female children are portrayed in horror films. Choreographer Gabrielle Aufiero did a fantastic job! "What a wonderful response! I love all of the options you have offered for my piece. It is nice to read about your kinesthetic response to my work, and I also appreciate you mentioning the horror movies that you saw in my choreography. I will need to see 'Nightmare on Elm Street' now!" ~ Gabrielle Aufiero